Matthew David McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. McConaughey first gained notice for his breakout role in the coming of age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993). He went on to appear in films in a variety of genres including the slasher Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), the legal thriller A Time to Kill (1996), Steven Spielberg's historical drama Amistad (1997), the science fiction drama Contact (1997), the comedy EDtv (1999) and the war film U-571 (2000).

In the 2000s he became best known for starring in romantic comedies,[2] including The Wedding Planner (2001), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Failure to Launch (2006) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). Since 2010 he has moved away from romantic comedies and has had critically acclaimed roles in the films The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), Bernie (2011), Killer Joe (2011), Mud (2012), Magic Mike (2012) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013).